Treasure Island

Jim Hawkins (Jackie Cooper), Long John Silver (Wallace Beery) and parrot team up in 1934 movie.

Establishing the pirate treasure legend

A treasure map. A chest of gold hidden on a deserted island.
A rascally one-legged pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, a
curse of "Aargh!" in his throat, and a secretly good heart
in his murderous bosom. Fifteen men on the dead man's
chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum....

Everyone knows what that's all about, whether or not they've read Treasure
Island—or even know it's a book.

The world and characters of Treasure Island have
become so embedded in our culture through movies and
television—like the stories of King Arthur, Robin Hood, Robinson Crusoe, Frankenstein and Dracula in all their
permutations—that we can easily forget they aren't mythic but
are founded in a relatively recent literary work. There's
something about Stevenson's story, and particularly his creation
of Long John Silver, that bears repeated telling in diverse
media.

Filmmakers have proven unable to resist the temptation. Over
sixty—and counting—adaptations of the novel, spin-offs, parodies
and otherwise related works have been produced for film and TV,
including several series in various languages around the world.

The silver-tongued, soft-hearted devil

The first movie production of the sound era of Treasure
Island in 1934 paired
child star Jackie Cooper and gravel-voiced veteran Wallace
Beery, both at the heights of their film acting careers—and at the beginning of a
screen partnership that saw them co-star in at least four
Hollywood movies.

The first part of the film though—a long segment taking pace
at the Admiral Benbow Inn run by young Jim Hawkins and his
mother—is nearly hijacked by Lionel Barrymore. As drunken seaman
Billy Bones, hiding out from Silver's gang, terrorizing the
locals, thrilling the lad with his tales, Barrymore is a terror.
We're sorry when he's dispatched, as he must be.

The stage is taken over by the good but boring squire, doctor
and captain who all go off with Jim on the hunt for Flint's
treasure. Nigel Bruce, though, does get a couple of good bits of
comedy in as Squire Trelawney. And of course the way is cleared
for the that silver-tongued devil, Long John silver.

Beery (and isn't that a perfect name for the actor in this
role) is at first as good a Silver as might be expected. He
broadly acts the conniving scoundrel, posing as hard or soft as
the situation requires.

Cooper, however, is grating for a viewer today. For one thing
he's pudgy at age twelve and when he acts like a grownup, honest
and wise beyond his years, he comes across as more pompous than
cute. And why is he exclaiming "Bless my soul!" like an old man
every few minutes?

In response, Beery then seems to overact the good-hearted
bit, softening Silver too much, perhaps trying to compete with
Cooper at winning the audience's sympathy.

By the end of the book, Jim wishes Long John well in this
life because he knows the man is sure to roast in the next. By
the end of the film though, we and Jim think of the former pirate
as a lovable rascal who may yet find his way to heaven.

There are certainly many great aspects of this film. It's very
faithful to the book as adaptations go. It's an exciting and
well acted adventure. And director Victor Fleming uses
black-and-white cinematography to enhance the black, white and
grey strands of the story.

Treasure Island must have fired the imaginations of
kids and adults alike at the time. And it set the template for
later cinematic takes on the legend of Captain Flint's treasure.